The federal government currently provides more than $150 billion each year to students and their families in the form of grants, loans, work-study funds, and tax credits to help make college more affordable. This sizable public investment in higher education has indeed made college attendance possible for a larger share of Americans. However,…

Higher education is a critical tool for social mobility, but today, students and their families face significant challenges. It is against this backdrop that the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) convened the Task Force on Higher Education Financing and Student Outcomes. This group has identified several areas of federal policy ripe for reform that…

After decades of slow growth, the share of young Americans completing college has increased to 48 percent in 2019, from 39 percent 10 years earlier. What accounts for the rise? Are more students clearing a meaningful bar for graduation, or are colleges and universities engaging in credential inflation and lowering their academic standards? This…

Postsecondary student demographics are dramatically shifting in the state of Texas, resulting in an increased need for state government resources to ensure college access affordability in the state. It is critical that lawmakers prioritize higher education to allow Texans from all backgrounds access to afford higher education. This editorial is an…

Gifted Education remains funded poorly at best. Funding levels have not increased; in fact, levels have decreased since NCLB (No Child Left Behind) legislation. The authors establish a history of funding inadequacies over the past twenty years that represents a leap backwards in support of students with untapped potential. The effort to improve…

Congress has passed a bill that would reauthorize the Higher Education Act. Now five years overdue, the new act created many programs and requirements for colleges and universities. Given all the time and effort that went into it, do aspects of the final legislation fall short? What key measures have been left out? In this article, six policy…

Reviews the history of state library financial support and argues for direct state aid to all libraries which meet moderate standards. Recent judicial decisions are discussed in this context. (JVP)

Federal, state, and local governments are pouring money into programs and initiatives that were mandated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). An important additional step to take is to demonstrate to administrators, faculty, and parents that the library program and its collection is aligned with the goals of NCLB and is striving to play an active part…

Discusses the actions of state legislatures nationwide that have implications for community colleges. Points up and analyzes three major legislative themes: increased state control, reduced appropriations, and the uncertain identity of community colleges within the law. Looks at minor legislative changes and three areas of concern for the coming…

Identifies issues that Congress and the general public will very likely be concerned with in considering future vocational education legislation and discusses issues the American Vocational Association basic state grant study team have identified within the basic state grant program. (LRA)

Proposed changes in Pennsylvania state funding for and regulation of public education are presented in this pamplet by the state's governor and secretary of education. The funding proposal calls for a new local education block grant, totalling $127 million, in the state budget. The funds are to be distributed to school districts for basic…

This paper examines trends in the support of public higher education versus that for prisons in New York State over the last decade and concludes that the dramatic rise in funding for prison expansion has come at the expense of higher education. The paper notes that (1) since fiscal year 1988, operating budgets at New York's public universities…

In January 1984, the California State Legislature adopted Assembly Bill (AB) 1XX, which included provisions for a mandatory student fee and an appropriation for financial aid to offset that fee. This report by the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) describes the provisions of AB 1XX and the community college financial aid plan,…

Drawing from interviews with educational leaders in Iowa and a review of research, historical, and legislative materials, this paper provides an analysis of the distribution of funds within Iowa's statewide system of area colleges. After a statement of the issues of funding equity within the area college system and among the other postsecondary…

This document is a request by the Kentucky Department of Education for state legislation to mandate services and provide new state funding for preschool children aged 3, 4, and 5, with handicaps. Preschool services would include special education (center, home-based, itinerant); speech, physical, and occupational therapies; and other related…